Biology - Teaching B.A.
Biology - Teaching Major
The B.A. Biology - Teaching major requires a minimum of 120 total hours to graduate. This total includes UNIFI/General Education requirements, the Professional Experiences requirements, Educator Essentials requirements, and the following specified major requirements, to complete the minimum of 120 hours.
The Biology Teaching major provides a broad education in biology. Along with Educator Essentials courses and student teaching, this curriculum is a sound preparation for teaching life science, biology, and other secondary science courses. This program is an excellent preparation for graduate work in biology or science education.
This major leads to endorsement #151 5-12 Biological Science.
| Required: | ||
| Introductory track: | 15 | |
| General Biology: Organismal Diversity * | ||
| General Biology: Cell Structure and Function * | ||
| Evolution, Ecology and the Nature of Science | ||
| Genetics | ||
| Evolutionary Biology: | 3 | |
| Evolutionary Biology | ||
| Plant group: | 4 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Plants of North America | ||
| Plant Diversity and Evolution | ||
| Developmental Plant Anatomy | ||
| Animal group: | 3-4 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I | ||
| Vertebrate Anatomy | ||
| Field Zoology of Vertebrates | ||
| Entomology | ||
| Cell Biology ^^ | ||
| Mammalogy | ||
| Ecology Group: | 3-4 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Wildlife Ecology and Management | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Ecology | ||
| Cognate courses: | 12 | |
| General Chemistry I * ^ | ||
| General Chemistry II ^ | ||
| Earth History ^^ | ||
| Biology elective | 4 | |
| Choose 4 credits of BIOL course(s) 3000-level or above, not duplicated in other coursework | ||
| Total Hours | 44-46 | |
- *
Satisfies UNIFI Scientific Reasoning or a Connect Elective course.
- ^
Students with excellent preparation in chemistry may substitute CHEM 1130 General Chemistry I-II for CHEM 1110 General Chemistry I and CHEM 1120 General Chemistry II.
- ^^
EARTHSCI 1320 has a prerequisite of EARTHSCI 1300. This prerequisite is waived for Biology Teaching majors.
BIOL 4128/5128 has a prerequisite of BIOL 3100; BIOL 3140; CHEM 2040 or CHEM 2210; and junior standing.
Professional Experiences
| Required: | ||
| EDUC 2385 | Teaching Methods l: Secondary Science *, ** | 3 |
| EDUC 2485 | Teaching Internship l: Secondary Science | 3 |
| EDUC 3585/5585 | Teaching Methods ll: Secondary Science * | 3 |
| EDUC 3685/5685 | Teaching Internship ll: Secondary Science | 3 |
| EDUC 4138 | Secondary School Teaching | 12 |
| Total Hours | 24 | |
- *
A grade of C (2.00) or higher is required for all Methods courses.
- **
Biology Teaching majors can count EDUC 2385 Teaching Methods l: Secondary Science for category 5 of Educator Essentials.
Educator Essentials
| Required: * | ||
| Select one of the following in each category: | ||
| Category 1: The Learner | 3 | |
| Reflections on Learning | ||
| Development and Learning in Sociocultural Contexts | ||
| Creativity and Higher Order Thinking in the Classroom | ||
| Rethinking the Learning Society: Education and Its Future(s) | ||
| Category 2: Social Contexts of Learning | 3 | |
| Social & Cultural Foundations of Education | ||
| A Modern History of Education in the United States | ||
| Education Policy and Politics of Education | ||
| Language Today | ||
| Category 3: Education for All | 3 | |
| Adapted Physical Education | ||
| Education, Power, and Change | ||
| Social Movements and Education | ||
| Interdisciplinary and Intersectional Study of Education for All | ||
| Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners in Classrooms | ||
| Content Area Strategies for English Language Learners | ||
| Category 4: The Classroom Environment | 3 | |
| Deeper Motivation and the Highly Engaged Classroom | ||
| Level Up: Gamified Learning Environments | ||
| Early Childhood Curriculum Development and Organization | ||
| Playful Learning and Project-Based Experiences: Techniques for Ed and Recreational Environments | ||
| Critical Perspectives on Technology and Education | ||
| Category 5: Effective Pedagogy | 3 | |
| Expressive Learning Assessment | ||
| Technology, Pedagogy, and Learning in the Digital Age | ||
| Assessment for Learning | ||
| Effective Teaching through Differentiation, Technology and Assessment | ||
| Category 6: The Professional Educator | 3 | |
| Child, Family, School and Community Relationships | ||
| Teacher Leadership & Educational Change | ||
| Collaborative Partnerships for Educators | ||
| Total Hours | 18 | |
- *
A grade of C (2.00) or higher is required in each Educator Essentials course.
Four-Year Plan
Biology Teaching, B.A.
This is a sample plan of study with a suggested sequencing of classes for the major. University electives may be applied to earn additional academic majors, minors, or certificates. Students should regularly meet with their academic advisor to plan their specific semester schedule to include UNIFI/General Education program and/or university elective hours required.
| Freshman | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hour | |
| BIOL 2051 | General Biology: Organismal Diversity (or BIOL 2052 General Biology: Cell Structure and Function) | 4 |
| CHEM 1110 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| UNIFI/General Education or University Electives | 7 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL 2052 | General Biology: Cell Structure and Function (or BIOL 2051 General Biology: Organismal Diversity) | 4 |
| CHEM 1120 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| Educator Essentials Course | 3 | |
| UNIFI/General Education or University Electives | 4 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Sophomore | ||
| Fall | ||
| BIOL 3100 | Evolution, Ecology and the Nature of Science (or BIOL 3140 Genetics) | 3 |
| Educator Essentials Course | 3 | |
| UNIFI/General Education or University Electives | 9 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL 3140 | Genetics (or BIOL 3100 Evolution, Ecology and the Nature of Science) | 4 |
| EDUC 2385 | Teaching Methods l: Secondary Science | 3 |
| EDUC 2485 | Teaching Internship l: Secondary Science | 3 |
| Educator Essentials Course | 3 | |
| UNIFI/General Education or University Electives | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Junior | ||
| Fall | ||
| Biology Group choice | 4 | |
| Biology Electives | 4 | |
| Educator Essentials Course | 3 | |
| UNIFI/General Education or University Electives | 6 | |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| Biology Group choice | 4 | |
| BIOL 4142/5142 | Evolutionary Biology | 3 |
| Educator Essentials Course | 3 | |
| UNIFI/General Education or University Electives | 6 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Senior | ||
| Fall | ||
| EARTHSCI 1320 | Earth History | 4 |
| EDUC 3585/5585 | Teaching Methods ll: Secondary Science | 3 |
| EDUC 3685/5685 | Teaching Internship ll: Secondary Science | 3 |
| Biology Group choice | 4 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| EDUC 4138 | Secondary School Teaching | 12 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- *
To graduate from UNI with a biology major, students must have both a cumulative and a major UNI GPA of 2.50 or higher, with a grade of C- (1.67) or higher in all courses that are applied to the major.
- **
Students must take at last seven (7) hours of 4000-level biology coursework pertinent to their major, with four (4) of those hours being taken at UNI.
Learning Outcomes
Biology Teaching, B.A.
Goals: Students will gain an understanding of major themes in biology (organization of life, diversity and its causes, genetics, and cellular biology) along with deeper exposure to and advanced competency in biological topics of the student’s interest in areas including anatomy, physiology, genetics, organismal development, ecology, evolution, and/or organismal biology. Students will be able to think critically and communicate effectively on these discipline-specific topics in ways that allow them to become excellent educators.
Outcomes:
- Students will show proficiency in advanced content from their areas of interest in the fields of anatomy, physiology, development, cellular biology, immunology, genetics, ecology, evolution, and/or evolutionary biology.
- Students will communicate effectively using appropriate teaching strategies for a classroom setting.
- Students will think critically about discipline-specific content as evidenced by an ability to interpret data, to effectively critique arguments, and/or to solve problems relating to living organisms.
Policies
Majors
- Students should indicate their interest in majoring in biology by filling out a Declaration of Curriculum form any time after their admission to UNI.
- A student's freshman year shall be devoted primarily to completing the required course work in general biology (BIOL 2051 General Biology: Organismal Diversity and BIOL 2052 General Biology: Cell Structure and Function) and chemistry (CHEM 1110 General Chemistry I and CHEM 1120 General Chemistry II, or CHEM 1130 General Chemistry I-II). UNIFI/General Education and/or math classes should be taken by students to complete their schedules.
- For the BS Biology, the BS Environmental Science, the BA Biology, the BA Biology Biomedical Emphasis, the BA Biology-Teaching, and the BA Biology Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology emphasis, students must receive a grade of C- (1.67) or higher in courses that are applied to their major. Prior to enrollment in a course, all prerequisites must be completed with a C- (1.67) or higher.
- ALEKS is a mathematics placement exam used at the University of Northern Iowa. Your academic advisor will use your score on the ALEKS assessment to determine your placement in UNI mathematics, chemistry, and physics courses.
- A student enrolled in a biology class during fall or spring semester, or who drops a biology course after the first seven days of classes, should contact the department if they want to take the class again in an immediately subsequent semester. The student will only be allowed to register if space remains after all advanced registrations are completed.
- To graduate from UNI with a BS Biology, a BA Biology, a BA Biology Biomedical Emphasis, or a BA Biology Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology emphasis, students must have both a cumulative and a major UNI GPA of 2.00 or higher, with a grade of C- (1.67) or higher in all courses that are applied to the major. To graduate from UNI with a BA Biology-Teaching, students must have both a cumulative and a major UNI GPA of 2.50 or higher, with a grade of C- (1.67) or higher in all courses that are applied to the major.
- With the exception of the Biology 3+1 Joint program, to graduate from UNI with a biology major, students must take at least seven (7) hours of 4000-level biology coursework pertinent to their major, with four (4) of those hours being taken at UNI.
- Transfer students entering UNI shall be subject to the acceptance requirements listed in #3.
Minors
To graduate from UNI with a biology minor, students must have both a cumulative and a minor UNI GPA of 2.00 or higher, with a grade of C- (1.67) or higher in all courses that are applied to the minor.
Notes:
- A student can declare only one major within the Department of Biology with the exception of the BA Biology Teaching major, which can be paired with another degree in biology.
- A student with a major within the Department of Biology cannot declare a Biology minor or a Biology-Teaching minor.
- A student with a major in the interdisciplinary B.A. Environmental Resource Management: Ecosystems Track may not also declare a major or minor in biology.
- A student with a major in the interdisciplinary B.S. Environmental Science: Environmental Life Science Track may not also declare a major or minor in biology.